Fight For You
by FanFicFan909
Summary: A boy at odds with the world battles discrimination and social status to come out on top. AXP.
1. Fight

**Inspired by the "Step Up" or dance style movies, even though I have never seen any of them, this is how I would imagine one would go. There will be songs in here and the characters will either be singing or dancing to them, I will specify at them time, and there will be those scenes where a flash mob just randomly joins in with an unexpected choreographed routine. This idea came because I'm trying to prove to myself how difficult it is to write fight/dance scenes. This story will battle discrimination, social status and the meaning of a competition. Kind of based on the song, "The Fighter" by 'Gym Class Heroes', even though I had this idea before I heard the song. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Storm Hawks/any songs used/Step Up stuff (even though it is not a parody, it is an original inspired by the genre of dance movies) and if anything else pops up, let's just say I don't own that either. **

* * *

Grumble.

That sound he constantly heard erupting from his stomach to tell him he was hungry, unfortunately, this desire was not always satisfied at the appropriate time. With no funds or a job, he struggled to live from day to day without sufficient nutrition, bringing him to his current position.

Bottom rung of the ladder, scum on the foot of society, end of the line.

Speaking of which, that's where he found himself right now. At the end of the line and awaiting his fate. His life was difficult, and every so often he was required to complete a gruelling task just to make enough money to feed himself and survive until the next task.

"Next." The words escaping the teller's lips told him that his wait was over. With his hood still resting atop his head, the skinny boy of only eighteen walked up to the large woman behind the glass. His expression was neutral, his movements lanky and his breathing was shaky.

"Name?" The woman dropped her head down to her desk to watch her pen scratch across the paper.

"X," was his mumbled answer. The woman took a moment to gaze up at the boy in confusion, but only sighed with the shake of her head as she brought her attention back down to the desk and wrote the letter down on the sticker. She handed the small sheet through the tiny arch at the bottom of the window and the boy stared down at the note in his hands.

"Next." Her sharp words repeated. The boy moved out of his current position and decided to prepare for his next step. Without paying attention to his current surroundings, the boy manoeuvred his way through the crowd and straight to a doorway found in the adjacent alley, as though he had done this task a million times before.

He found the small black locker room filled with other men like him; lanky, exhausted and not prepared for their upcoming challenge. Squinting his eyes in the dark the boy walked through the slowly developing crowd, found a small clear area on a bench and began to change.

* * *

One by one, each boy in a pair of boxers walked out of a door that stood in the corner of the room. One by one, each boy returned; bruised, bloodied and leaning on another person to help walk, or hobble, back to their belongings, making the boy more nervous about his own fate.

He could feel his breathing increase; the small puff of smoke released was visible in the cold room. The last boy walked back into the change room, physically exhausted and covering his black eye with his hand.

It was his turn. A tall man stood at the door and gestured his fingers to the nervous boy to come to him. Reluctantly and with a quick wipe of his forehead to remove the sweat, the boy stood up and advanced to the man.

With a pair of red boxers on and refusing to remove his hoodie from his body when asked, the boy walked through the door and out into the light.

* * *

He had seen this and done this many times before. To get to his destination, he would walk down the aisle carpet between the crowds of roaring people towards the stage lights. It felt like he was walking in slow motion. Sound of cheers and applause blurred to the back of his skull as his heart began to beat in his ears. The boy's face felt heavy and cold as it was suddenly overcome in a full sweat. The sound of Labrinth's "Earthquake" blared through the sound speakers, but quietened as the audience prepared for the performance. Supported by one of the umpires, the young man was hoisted up and into the ring. The gloves were slipped onto his hands and the announcer walked into the centre of the square.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the voice echoed through the loud speaker; the crowd roared to life with excitement.

"Welcome to the final round for this evening. In this corner, a regular amateur boxer, it's...X." The announcer quickly read the sticker on the competitor's boxer shorts. The man cowered slightly under his hoodie as a small chorus of 'boo's' escaped from the audience.

"And competing against him, all time amateur boxing champion...the Finnster." The crowd cheered in enthusiasm as a blonde young man with blue eyes who stood in the other corner turned around and faced the announcer. He looked about the same age as the other boy and sported a huge egotistical grin on his face. The boy rolled his eyes as the blonde competitor held his glove covered hands in the air and began chanting his own name to warm the crowd up.

"Alright gentleman." The announcer brought the two boys together. "Let's have a nice, clean fight-" he leaned even closer to whisper to the men. "-but make it interesting."

"Let's get ready to rumble!" The two fighters knocked their large red gloves together and with the ring of the bell, the match began.

* * *

Although he had fought before, the nervous boy had no idea how to compete with a champion. In smooth agile movements, the blonde man manoeuvred himself around the other fighter, gracefully placing his feet around him in a taunting motion. The other boy walked in a circle with heavy footsteps, carefully eyeing the cocky boy's gloves and preparing himself for any attack.

The first swing was fired. The 'Finnster' moved his glove around and towards the other young man's face, which was too fast to avoid. The amateur leant against the ropes to steady himself from the right hook he received. Shaking his head out of its daze, the fighter stood up and held his gloves in a defence stance.

Jumping left to right in a mocking stance, the blonde boy held up his gloves and prepared to strike again. As the red rubber glove came towards his face, the boy managed to block the hit with difficulty, stumbling back around the edge of the ring as the other fighter advanced on him.

With a sudden inhale of breath, the man pushed his hand forward in an attempt to beat down his opponent. The blonde easily blocked the hit, resulting in a loud cheer from the crowd. With his guard down, the hooded boy received a hurtful blow to his right cheek, spitting out a small mouthful of saliva in the ring.

Seeing this as his shot, the 'Finnster' noticed his opponent's feet twisted in a terrible stance and decided that one last throw would knock him down. With one swift movement, the blue eyed boy connected his red glove with his cheek again, and as the amateur stumbled over his feet, the small motion from the blonde's own foot tripped his opponent and he fell flat on his face.

The referee ran towards the injured and slammed his hand on the ground three times. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner."

The announcer held up the winner's hand in victory as the audience cheered for their champion. The failed lay down on the cold floor, bruised and broken, a small tear falling dramatically to a splash on the ground. He didn't dare get up, facing humiliation this bad became worse every week. With a drooping head under his hood, the amateur climbed over the ropes of the boxing ring with difficulty and advanced down the same carpeted aisle through a crowd of shaking heads and ridiculed remarks.

Bottom rung of the ladder, scum on the foot of society, end of the line.

A loser.


	2. Buddy

**Here is the second chapter to "The Fighter". Remember, this is how I think one of those dance movies would go, and just like those movies, I'm not trying to offend anyone, but I'm trying to explore discrimination and the vulnerability of characters. So, enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I only own the story line. Nothing more, nothing less. **

* * *

The humiliation hung over him in the form of a dark rain cloud stretched out across the sky, hiding all sunlight from view. Although it was difficult to tell, the failed fighter assumed that the sun had set by the time he reached that same booth with the same large woman sitting inside behind the glass.  
Without exchanging words, the woman slid a small piece of paper through the open arch, faced down on the filthy surface. With a thankful nod, the boy grabbed the paper, turned it over and read it with curiosity. Twenty four dollars, probably just enough to buy food between now and the next match.

With a disappointed groan, the man turned on his heel and walked away from the teller, head down and hood up. Without a destination, the boy walked aimlessly down the dark alley way, noticing every crack, line and detail the history of the pavement held. The loud crack of thunder heard above warned him of an approaching storm so he adjusted the hood on his head to protect himself from the rain. He couldn't be sure, but the young man could've sworn that he heard someone yell out.

"Hey!" He decided to shrug it off as another roar of thunder filled his ears, however once the rumbling ceased, the noise caught his attention.

"Hey you in the hood!" The fighter turned around and with a helpful flash of lightning, was able to depict a figure standing not so far from him.

"Hey, you're the guy I just fought, right?" The hooded figure couldn't believe it. He was face to face with the guy that just embarrassed him in front of a cheering crowd although now instead of blue boxers, he wore black track pants and a blue jumper with the hood down. With a trembling hand, the boy grazed the small scratch that held dry blood on his lip.

"Sorry about that, part of the game, right?" The blonde noticed his action.

"Yeah. That's ok Finnster" The boy somewhat mumbled. The blonde fighter gave a small chuckle and held out his hand for an introduction.

"Finnster is my stage name. I usually go by Finn outside the ring." Both boys shook hands then looked awkwardly around. The blond was the first to break the uncomfortable silence.

"I wanted to congratulate you. Not about losing, sorry again. But that punch you threw, there was potential in it." The hooded figure gave a quizzical stare at his previous opponent.

"What do you mean?" he questioned. The blonde only smirked.

"You have a good punch; the only thing stopping you is your feet."

"My feet?" The boy looked down at his black runners.

"You need to know how to position them. I can teach you, or at least I know someone who can help you. You free tonight and tomorrow, because it's a 4 hour drive." The boy looked hesitant down the alley to a box he had suddenly decided to use for his bed tonight. It was either stay here and catch a cold from the rain, or take a long drive in a stranger's car to God knows where. He turned back to the champion, who appeared to understand his train of thought.

"Don't worry about what your parents tell you. I'm not going to abduct you." Finn laughed.

"Don't have any parents," the boy replied bluntly, resulting in a faulty smile from the blonde.

"Sorry man. If it's any consolation, I don't either." Both boys shared sympathetic looks towards one another as the first raindrops began to fall.

"Well it's your choice." Finn screamed as another clap of thunder roared overhead. He grabbed his keys from his deep pockets, turned around and began walking away from his opponent. The boy bit his bottom lip as he thought of his next move. With another nervous glance back down the alley, his decision was made for him as the rain began to fall down in large drops. With heavy footsteps splashing in the newly formed puddles, the young man caught up with his acquaintance and both walked in silence into the darkness.

* * *

The only noise heard from inside the car was the timed squeak from the wind shield wipers. With his head resting on the back of his seat in the passenger's chair, the hooded man's eyes followed the motion of the wipers lazily as the car sped off into the night. After an uncomfortable silence, Finn decided to speak up.

"You know you can take off your hood, right? It's not raining in here." The boy sat silently and continued to stare out of the window screen. Finn decided to keep his mouth shut considering he was stuck with this guy for the next couple of days and he didn't want anything to be awkward between them, so he kept his eyes on the road. With a cautious glance to his right, the boy brought his hand above his head and, like ripping off a band-aid, pulled his hood off in one quick tug. Finn turned his head as the sudden movement caught his eye. He stared at the boy with wide eyes and as he turned his head back to the road, the sound "wow" unintentionally escaped his lips as he mouthed the word. Upon hearing this, the fighter ripped the hood back over his head in anger and crossed his arms in a sulking manner.

"Sorry dude, it's just that I've...I've never seen that hair colour before, at least not around here."

"Yeah, tell me about it." The boy muffled into his shoulder.

"Did you dye it?" Finn questioned the boy.

"Nope," was the instant and blunt reply.

"So what are you doing on this side of the tracks then?" The blonde questioned his acquaintance.

"Trying to survive." Finn gave the boy a quizzical glare to which his reply was a heavy sigh.

"I lost my family long ago from a criminal. I finally left the orphanage when I turned eighteen and now I fight in every boxing match I can just to get some money to buy food and live till the next match. So I'm sorry, but I can't exactly chip in for gas money here."

Finn gave a slight chuckle at his final response.

"Sucks about your family but don't worry dude, I'm not fussed about the whole money thing." Finn slapped a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder. "When you're a champion like me, you make an okay living."

The boy shot the blonde a quizzical look. "Just where exactly are you taking me?"

The blonde gave him a sly grin before replying. "Trenich."

"Are you crazy?" The boy's emerald eyes widened to their fullest. "We'll get killed."

"Relax, I live down there. That's where you learn street cred when you don't have those fancy orphanages you speak of." Finn smirked as he set off the indicator in his car.

"Do you know what could happen to a guy with red hair in Trenich?" The boy questioned his driver.

"Relax dude, you..." Finn ceased mid sentence as a burning question itched his brain. "-What is your name by the way?"

The young man shuffled uncomfortably in his seat before pretending to gaze out of the dark passenger window with curiosity. "I don't...exactly have one." Finn's blue eyes flashed over to his passenger for the umpteenth time.

"Man, you are one mysterious dude." The champion commented as he narrowed his eyes down the road. "So, what do I call you then, unless you still wanna go by X?"

The boy rolled his eyes as though searching for a memory. "Well, there is one name I kinda went by at the orphanage. The owner said she found me at the doorstep. I was holding a red arrow that...that had a note wrapped around it from my mother. It said; 'Take care of my baby'. Apparently I never let go of that arrow, and the owner thought that because the arrow was red and my hair was red-"

"-she decided to name you Arrow?" Finn finished, the thoughts in his head catching up with those of his acquaintances.

"It's not technically the same though; mine is spelt with an 'e'."

Confusion was placed upon Finn's features once again. "Where the hell would you put an 'e' in the name Arrow?"

"It's after the 'A', but please don't spread it around, man. It's embarrassing enough."

"Your secret's safe with me, buddy." Finn comforted as he pulled on the handbrake. "C'mon, let's eat. I'm starved."

"What?" Looking out of the car's front windscreen, it took Aerrow a moment to realise that they had pulled up at an isolated burger diner. "When did we get here?"

* * *

"You know," Finn mumbled with his mouth full as he continued to munch down on his cheeseburger. "Aerrow could be a killer boxer name."

Aerrow looked at the gentleman sitting across from him, a puzzled expression on the hooded boy's face as he sucked the cola through his straw. He placed the plastic cup back on the table with a small but audible sigh.

"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to help me, but this whole boxing thing is a dead end until I can find something stable." A waitress strolled up to their table and refilled the cup of coffee that sat in front of Finn. Aerrow realised his words fell on deaf ears as the blonde's attention was brought to the woman in the striped uniform.

"How've you been, Finn?" The girl questioned with a sly smile. Finn brought his crossed elbows further on the table as he addressed the woman.

"I've been good. This is my friend Aerrow by the way; spelt with an 'e'. Aerrow, this is Stacey." Finn introduced the two people, and Stacey stared over at the hooded boy with great interest.

"Hey Aerrow with an 'e'. Wow, you sure have an interesting name. Wanna cup of coffee too?" She questioned the boy who looked over at them with uncertainty.

"Uh...no thanks." He shifted uncomfortably, and the sudden drop of Stacey's smile made him extremely nervous. As though she had become a different person, Stacey bid her goodbyes to Finn and walked away quickly, Finn's eyes following her as she left and spoke to the greasy chef behind the counter.

The blonde turned his attention back to his acquaintance, and his excellent eyesight immediately caught the strand of red hair that had escaped the cover of the hood. Aerrow, noticing this too, brought his hand up to his hood and carefully placed it back, a rehearsed act no doubt. Finn could see the boy's emerald eyes falling in embarrassment, and with no way of helping him, he slipped his hands into the deep pockets of his tracksuit pants in a guilty fashion. The soft sensation of wool on his fingertips brought a sneaky smile to his lips as he formulated an idea that could help his companion. With a cautious glance around the greasy diner, Finn quickly pulled the object out of his pocket and threw it over to Aerrow, who was sporting a confused look about his acquaintance's attitude for the past three minutes.

"What's this?" The hooded figure questioned as he fiddled with the black object in his hands.

"It's a beanie you dunce. I figure it can hide your hair better than your hood if you're that freaked out about it."Finn spoke casually as he drowned the final gulp of his coffee. Aerrow, also looking cautiously around the diner, slipped the beanie over his red locks while his hood was still up. After checking and double checking that each and every strand was now hidden under the wool, the boy removed his hood from his head.

"Beautiful," Finn teased Aerrow playfully, resulting in the latter to roll his eyes with a smirk. "Well we better get out of here. We've still got a long drive ahead of us.

The now beanie-clad boy nodded slightly and rose from the red booth seat at the same time as Finn. Both boys walked in silence out of the neon lit diner, and back to their ride.

* * *

On the road, the only noise heard from inside the car was the timed squeak of the wind shield wipers, but it was a comforting squeak. The smooth road and the slow rhythm of the rain that began to fall outside hummed Aerrow into a tired state and as his eyelids began to feel heavy; he could only make out a few words Finn had spoken before he fell asleep.

"Sleep tight, buddy."

_Buddy_. A comforting word meaning friendship or close companionship, a word you would call a person whom you would do anything for. It had been a long time since he had heard that word, heck, he had never heard that word from someone before. Although he couldn't tell if it was showing on the outside, he was definitely smiling on the inside and his final thought before he descended into sleep;

_I should've had that coffee. _

* * *

**So that's the next chapter. Tell me what you think. R&R. **


	3. Smirk

**After my long ban, all of my stories have a desperate need for updates, and I want to thank you all for being so patient. I don't mean to offend anyone with the story, I'm simply exploring discrimination so you have been warned.**

**Oh by the way, sorry for being so cryptic, but at the end of the last chapter where he said he wished he could have had come coffee, that was so he could stay awake with his buddy. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plotline of this story.**

* * *

He was startled from his slumber as an unknown force pushed him out of his seat. With his seat belt still on, the force left a rather nasty pain through his chest. He woke with a groan; his eyes, caked with sleep, began slowly peeling open in defence of the bright light. He could feel himself being pushed up again, only this time he was prepared and grabbed on to the handle positioned on the roof of the car. In response to a muffled voice, Aerrow turned his head in the direction of the noise, back to the driver of the vehicle. Finn winced and placed an apologetic look on his face as he stared back to his passenger.

"Sorry man, I tried to drive slowly over all the speed bumps."

"How long was I out?" the boy groaned as he repositioned himself in the chair, his hands dragging down his face in an attempt to wake himself up.

"About nine hours." Aerrow merely ignored the driver's words, mesmerised by the scenery outside. The golden sunrise poured over the rolling hills, flowers and bushes scattered the sides of the road as the car sped past the idyllic landscape.

"Where are we?" questioned the redhead, still slightly groggy from his interrupted sleep.

"Trenich, like I told you." Finn stated matter-of-factly as he turned off onto a narrow road.

"This…is Trenich?" Aerrow asked incredulously. "I was expecting something different."

"What were you expecting? Constantly dark and gang fights going all the time?"

"Basically."

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "Well that's what happens when you listen to rumours."

The passenger faced the windshield, uncomfortably shifting himself in the seat once more and removed his hood from the top of his beanie clad head. "I'm still not sure about this."

"Don't worry," Finn spoke distractedly as he parked the car in front of a large square building. Aerrow leaned forward and studied the outside of the black building through the windscreen. "You're about to be."

* * *

"I thought you said I was discriminated against." Aerrow mumbled as he stared up in awe at the person in the ring.

"You are." The blonde replied quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you think she gets discriminated against too?"

"Not in this particular neighbourhood and not for the same reasons you do." Finn corrected, pointing his finger at the redhead when he spoke. "Besides, you're not one of those people that judge a person by their appearance, are you?"

Aerrow cussed under his breath. "You did to me." The blonde released a sharp whistle by placing his top teeth on his bottom lip to catch the attention of the girl.

"Hey Piper."

The girl in the ring turned around at the sound of her name. She eyed both boys who stood outside the ring before carefully striding over to them with an eyebrow raised. Finn jumped up to the stage and held on to the ropes to steady his balance outside of the ring.

"Hey Finn," Piper addressed her conversationalist.

"How you been?" He questioned with a sly smile.

"Fine." The answer drawled out like a question as the girl's eyes manoeuvred over to the silent boy. She nodded her head to the blonde. "What do you want?"

"We need some help." Finn allowed one hand to remove itself from the rope and gesture to Aerrow, who looked up with an almost frightened look under his beanie.

"Help with what?" Her aggravated voice fell low as her eyes narrowed towards the blonde.

"Help with fighting." Finn stated casually.

"No, " she answered as soon as the statement had been voiced.

"Come on, please. He really needs your help." Finn began to beg as Piper turned away and walked back to her equipment. A swift jump over the strings brought Finn onto the stage and he jogged over to where the girl was standing.

"Could you just do this one favour?" Finn questioned while wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb. Piper rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh. "The guy has got great potential, only his footing is terrible."

The girl's eyes widened, her head shaking violently. "No, no no…" Her response went unheard under Finn's pleading.

"Please, please, please…" his hands were grasped tightly. "Just this one, teensy favour." His thumb and forefinger inched closer to emphasise the word 'teensy'.

"What's in it for me?" Piper sighed in defeat as she began to make her way to the centre of the ring. The blonde flashed a victorious grin as he followed the girl.

"Whatever you want. I'll buy the next couple of food rounds; you can use the Cougar…" Piper slammed her open hand into Finn's chest to bring him to a halt, still facing a forward direction.

"Nope," she spoke instantly.

"No," Finn furrowed his brow, bringing his gaze down to her hand.

"No." The tall girl turned and faced her slightly taller conversationalist. "Make it my turn with the kids."

Bright blue eyes grew large. "No way," he somewhat shouted. "I've had that planned for weeks…"

"Exactly," she interrupted with a smirk. "I get to do the video, and you can make money off the quiet guy."

Both people in the fighting ring turned to face Aerrow, who was looking around the large building with great curiosity.

"Or, you know…" Piper faced the blonde boxer, arms crossed. "You could leave the dude alone."

"Nah," Finn hopped over the ropes again and landed beside Aerrow. "I think you'd want to help him too." The moment the words left his lips, Finn brought his hands above the other boy's head and ripped the beanie clean off, red hair flying everywhere. Unprepared, Aerrow jumped at the sudden action, attempting to hide his locks. The boy reached for the woollen hat in Finn's hands, both boys throwing their hands around violently as Finn played the juvenile game of "keep away." The redhead violently threw his hood over his head when the blonde threw the beanie across the cold, shiny floor. Aerrow released an annoyed grunt towards Finn while stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, knowing it was too late to hide his hair. He stared up at Piper in the ring, his eyes appeared angry between the red bangs still hanging loosely outside the hood.

Piper, who had been standing silently in the boxing ring while the two boys squabbled like children, gazed upon Aerrow's hair with interest, her eyes slightly widening and softening.

"Fine, I'll help him." She whispered quickly. Finn balled his hand into a fist and thrusted his elbow backwards, a "yes" escaping his lips in a hiss. A sharp jab to the back pushed Aerrow forward in a stumble towards the ring, his hood falling off his head once again. Piper held her hand down towards the boy, hoisting him up into the arena.

"But…I still get the kids." Piper smirked down on to the blonde, whose grin began to falter.

"Fine," the boxer groaned in failure. "I'm going out for a smoke." The redhead turned to where his acquaintance was exiting, eyes growing wide as his only form of transportation walked away, leaving him with yet another stranger. His gaze traced back to the girl in the ring, staring at the same large metal garage door.

"He may act like a total idiot, but he's one of the smartest people I know." Her expression remained neutral, but her eyes sparkled with respect and familiarity.

"Have I seen you before?" Aerrow narrowed his eyes and leant forward.

"Nope," she spoke suddenly, her eyes avoiding his as she pretended to busy herself with her equipment once again.

"Aren't you a fighter in the girls division? You're a Sky Fu champion, aren't you?" His eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh man, I am such a fan…"

His voiced was silenced by her hand, closed like a duck's beak and held closely to his mouth. "Shh, that life is behind me now." Her hand lowered itself to her side, expression falling slightly to resemble sadness. "I'm no longer that person, I've gone back to school and I have a pending job offer out of the country. I'm only teaching you now to help a friend in need, and spend as much time with the kids as I can in case I'm called to go."

Aerrow's eyes darted back to the door, his fingers pointed and crossing over one another. "You and Finn have kids?" Piper's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What? Oh God no," her face expressing her shock. "No...emotional brother and sister, is what I call it. We help out at an orphanage and in exchange for training you, I take care of the kids this week while Finn helps out in the soup kitchen."

Realising his confusion, Piper released a cough to bring his attention back, her hands resting comfortably on her hips. "So, are you ready to learn how to fight?" She enquired with a smirk.

The redhead rolled his eyes downward, his lips curling as he thought. His stare met with her bright orange eyes, challenging her gaze. With a small smirk of his own, his eyes sparkled with excitement as he allowed his head a small nod.

"Let's see what ya got."

* * *

**This was an interesting chapter, more on Piper in the next one, I promise. The first musical number will be in the next chapter too, and I hope it doesn't start to turn out like a High-School-Musical-esque type thing. Few morals in this one, and pay attention to small details that may come around again in later chapters. R&R. **


End file.
